The Greatest Music
Criminal Minded
The 195th greatest album of all time
Criminal Minded, the 1987 debut by Boogie Down Productions led by KRS-One with DJ Scott La Rock, is a raw, street-level hardcore hip hop record that pairs spare, hard-hitting beats and crate-digging samples with reggae and dancehall inflections. The sound is minimalist and aggressive, featuring confrontational lyricism about street life and rap rivalries, notably on "South Bronx" and "The Bridge Is Over." Its production and delivery helped crystallize a tougher East Coast hip hop aesthetic and became a touchstone for later hardcore rap artists.
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